Bjornvir Crownhilt (Eldrusson)
Basic Information Bjornvir Crownhilt, also known as Bjornvir Eldrusson, is the current Cesher of Mandoria. He is known for his joyful lust for battle and ferocity with a handaxe. Appearance Bjornvir is a pale-skinned native of Mandoria. Standing at a height of 6'4", he has a very slender frame. Sometimes he is described as spider-like. His natural hair color is assumed to be black, but he has been known to dye his hair many different colors. He has a thick black beard, and beneath his bushy brows are eyes of dark brown. Personality Bjornvir loves to lead the charge into any battle, axe in hand. He is headstrong in battle, displaying a somewhat disturbing joy in killing his foes, laughing in the heat of battle. Off of the battlefield, he shows his usual light-hearted attitude. Bjornvir often jokes around with whoever he is with. Despite his public jovialty, he has been known to show deep sorrow and ominous anger. He is generally warm and brotherly, and trusts easily, but whenever his trust is broken, he can become very emotional, angry or sorrowful. History Backstory Bjornvir is the son of Eldrus, son of the late Cesher Gjiogirse Samhradh. As a child, his father became lost in the Mandorian wilds. He was assumed dead after several years failing to report to any town. With the death of his father, his grandfather, Gjiogirse, raised him. Not much is known of his early years, other than Bjorn had taught himself to sing. He was also quite weak and short. Adolescence Bjornvir was trained like any normal Mandor soldier, and in his training, befriended a Lopthir Thromhammer. They became good friends, often going out on patrols together, and entertaining the women of the taverns across Ransgar with songs of their adventures. Bjornvir slowly advanced through the ranks of the Empire as Lopthir was his content companion. War With Jardia A war was brewing with the Empire of Jardia. Gjiogirse began to vigorously train his grandson so that he might prove Mandoria's might to the Jardians down south. Lopthir was sent to fight deep in Jardian territory in the navy, and Bjornvir was left to fight at the border and northern parts of Jardia. The war was short-lived, but near the end was a great battle at Citadel Borsopus. Many men died on the battlefield from both nations. Bjornvir had vowed to see his friend Lopthir again. Suddenly a vicious fire lit inside of him, and he sprinted to the front line of the fight, slaying a dozen Jardian soldiers with his handaxe. He struck a thirteenth Jardian at the end of the siege, and it split into pieces. They chased the Jards back to the hills, victory on their side. Death of Gjiogirse After the great battle of Borsopus, Bjornvir went to deliver the news of victory to his grandfather Gjiogirse. Upon entering the Citadel of Stonecuckoo, however, a guardsman stopped him at the door. He gave Bjornvir the news that his grandfather's heart gave out. There was great mourning throughout the Empire, its former Cesher now dead. At the funeral, Bjornvir met his uncle Gioneart who refused his share of Gjiogirse's inheritence. Gioneart fell back into the ranks as a Masenhof and gave Bjornvir his gold. The war, now ended, reunited the companions Bjornvir and Lopthir at the docks near Stonecuckoo. They would soon begin a journey that would remain with them for the rest of their lives. Asfjalleyjar With the money from his uncle Gioneart, Bjornvir and Lopthir purchased two ships to sail across the sea. They had hoped to find new lands. They decided to sail north, a treacherous direction where few had dared before. With a crew of some of their brethren and their families, they set sail for two weeks. The sea was fair, making the journey unexpectedly pleasant. They finally met land on the snowy shores of a mysterious land. As the crews made landfall, Bjornvir looked up to the horizon in the north, and saw snow-peaked mountains, higher than any Mandor mountains, gleaming in the sunlight as strange lights blanketed the heavens. Truly it must have been some divine beauty that befell the landscape. So Bjornvir named the group of islands Asfjalleyjar, or the divine mountained islands.They had made a suitable village in a pine forest near the shore. Food would run short, as the settlers knew, and so Bjornvir organized hunting parties to hunt the animals of this new land. Some found edible berries and foraged, while others found strange-looking deer. They found few fish. There were also great white bears. Packs of wolves often patrolled the land, finding a deer or two to feed themselves. Bjornvir had started a growth spurt, going from one of the shortest men on the expedition to the tallest in a couple months. By this time, Bjornvir was sixteen years of age. On one particularly warm afternoon, Bjornvir and Lopthir went out hunting. They sung a song of the wolves, which ironically attracted a pack of nearby wolves. Being grossly outnumbered and unfamiliar with the woods they were in, they ran to a snowy cliff. They stopped and faced the wolves, hunger in their eyes. The two companions drew their swords, Bjornvir grabbing a log to use as a shield. After some fighting, the two were tackled off the cliff by the wolves into a waterfall. Bjornvir, with little strength, drowned a wolf in the water and made short work of another awaiting him at the shore. To his dismay, he saw Lopthir overpowered by several wolves, and sprinted over to him. It was too late; Lopthir was mortally wounded. In a crying rage, Bjornvir wrestled with the wolves, and managed to grab a hold of Lopthir's axe, plunging it deep into the leader of the pack's lungs. The other wolves backed away, whimpering. Seeing the suffering of the alpha, Bjornvir slit the throat of the wolf with the blade of the axe. Returning to his companion, Bjornvir cried out in anguish. Lopthir was unable to speak from his wounds, but merely embraced Bjornvir and put his axe tight in Bjornvir's hands, and died. Bjornvir carried his companion's corpse back to the settlement where they set him on a boat and pushed it out to sea. An archer shot an arrow on fire at the boat, and it caught on fire. After his companion's death, Bjornvir decided to return to Mandoria, and took some of the settlers back on his ship. Whatever became of the Mandor colony is unknown. Gathur Party The current Cesher was Cesher Hasimis Darkblade. For a time, Bjornvir served under Hasimis faithfully as a Grand Masenhof. Over time, however, Ahrelos saw weakness in the Cesher's rule, and sought to replace him. He convinced Bjornvir to help him, promising him the position of Dankor. This movement, known as the Gathur Party, swiftly took foot, but ended in failure. The reformists abandoned their goals after miscommunication, and Ahrelos took the blame for the plan. As punishment for an attempted overthrow, he was forced to leave Mandoria until an event known as the Return. Return Hasimis Darkblade grew distant from his people from a terrible illness. It wasn't seen as Hasimis' fault, but he was considered unfit to rule by a few. Over time, this escalated until Bjornvir decided that Mandoria was in need of a new Cesher. Rallying the support of many important Mandor figures, he managed to take the throne in a mostly peaceful usurpation. Hasimis was made a Grand Masenhof, and Bjornvir made Urik Sandblade his Dankor, Dankor Worisk becoming a Grand Masenhof as well. Shortly afterward, Hasimis recovered and mysteriously disappeared, and Bjornvir felt a painful guilt inside, but nothing could be changed, and so the Gjiogirse bloodline once again took the throne. Mandoria Bjornvir was able to increase Mandoria's numbers greatly, and improved the condition of bases such as Citadel Stonecuckoo and Fort Morens. He was also able to bring up relatively friendly relations with the other nations of Peurotsiil. Bjornvir is not experienced with leading an Empire, especially a growing one, but he aims to prove himself to his grandfather's spirit, and to his nation. Other *Bjornvir is rumored not to worship the Mandorian deities. *Bjornvir never knew his mother. *Bjornvir still keeps and maintains the handaxe of his companion Lopthir. *Bjornvir changed his last name to Crownhilt after becoming Cesher.